wanderCRAFT

How's it going with your summer goals, if you had any? Despite the fact that this summer has been CRAZY, I've gotten down most of my list. Laying out my goals ahead of time really helped, so I plan to make another list of goals again for the fall.

Here are the details...

* I shopped at the farmer's market with my pal Stephanie, and then we made pasta primavera with locally raised shrimp. Yeah, shrimp raised in Michigan. Totally crazy. Matt and I also finally moved into our new place, which means easy access to a ginormous farmer's market. We took a stroll there Saturday morning and stocked up for the week, chomping on Zingerman's soft pretzels on the way back.

* I rode in my mom's convertible, watching the farm fields fly by as the sun set. It's totally cute to see how much she enjoys having a zippy little red car. Matt enjoyed it too.

* I drank milkshakes with my grandma Saturday night. Even with all the busyness, I've been spending some extra special time with her lately. I also bought an ice cream maker and made watermelon sorbet. Yum.

* I laid down in the grass under the stars. I even saw the Milky Way.

* I went kayaking with Matt, while my brother swam beside us. He was preparing for a triathlon after a long hiatus.

* I visited with my nieces. My 21 month old nice is already headed for a triathlon herself. She spent a half an hour running outside yelling "race!". I could barely catch her.

We also went to Greenfield Village with Matt's family and stood in Thomas Edison's workshop while a man showed us how the very first voice recording was made. It was Henry Ford's birthday (coincidentally), so the man sang Happy Birthday Dear Henry into the phonograph.

Greenfield Village was not my on list of summer goals, but I was happy to revisit it for the first time since 4th grade. In 3rd grade we got to dress up Laura Ingalls style and go to school in a one-room school house for the day, which was pretty special.

Returning to the Midwest means getting reacquainted with the 19th and 20th century history we grew up with. And, nothing says retracing your roots like coal smoke smacking you in the face. You can't tell here, but really, we were covering our eyes and coughing as we entered the park. Matt said, "What are they trying to do here? Give us the black lung?" The park is an interesting visit nonetheless.

At the end of a very hot day, Matt stopped to sit and rest, after a couple hours of giving shoulder rides. The visitors and re-enactors streamed for the front gates. I went to find the girls, who were chatting up the mail woman in the post office about their day. She was being a patient listener at the end of her shift. The best part of Greenfield Village, for me, was the people standing by in costume to fill you in on as much history as you wish to hear. I can't think of anywhere else in the US that isn't a national park where you can experience something like this.

* I've laid on the beach by the lake. I'd still like to go lay on the beach by Lake Michigan. Or Lake Huron. I'll take either one. I am missing the ocean a bit, especially how the salty air would occasionally blow its way up the hill to our side of town.

* I sewed myself a pretty skirt during a Friday evening workshop at my favorite knitting/sewing shop in Boston, the week we moved away. It's a wrap skirt with Amy Butler's daisy chain in turquoise. I don't have the pattern but it's a pretty standard wrap skirt.

I still a few weeks left to learn to make cheese and to go camping. Not half bad for a summer as hectic as ours has been!